Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 will support 1080p displays by the end of 2013, claimed a new report today.
Unnamed sources who are "familiar with Microsoft's Windows Phone plans" told The Verge that the mobile operating system will be updated before the end of the year to include support for hi-def 1080p resolution screens.
According to the sources, the addition of 1080p support will be part of Microsoft's third General Distribution Release update for Windows Phone 8, or "GDR3," which previous speculation says will arrive in time for the holidays.
Full HD display support will likely arrive with a wave of new Windows Phone 8 handsets to take advantage of it, though the major players in the WP8 game haven't yet announced any 1080p devices.
The best-laid plans
According to The Verge, Microsoft's GDR3 Windows Phone 8 update will also add support for new Qualcomm processors that will allow for quad-core WP8 devices.
As the site pointed out, HTC was at some point planning to release a Windows Phone 8 handset called the HTC Zenith or HTC Elation that would have included a quad-core chip, but the 4.7-inch phone was supposedly axed due to the OS's resolution limitations. A 720p display would have put it at a disadvantage compared to similarly sized Android phones.
If today's report proves accurate, HTC could already be planning a similar device with full HD resolution, though nothing has been announced.
Nokia will likely jump at the chance to release a 1080p Windows Phone 8 handset as well, if it holds to its recent prediction that Microsoft's mobile OS could become the biggest in the world.
Even Samsung may want to get on board, despite the company's disappointment with Windows Phone 8 device sales.
TechRadar asked HTC, Nokia and Samsung for their takes on 1080p support coming to Windows Phone 8, and a Nokia spokesperson offered the following statement:
"Our focus working with Microsoft is on the best possible consumer experience rather than tech specs. Together we consider all technologies for their advantages and disadvantages and work to optimize for the best possible balance. That's how we managed to achieve a dual core experience that is as smooth and fast as most quad core smartphones, and why we were able to maintain pixel resolution when implementing OIS."
